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Case 2:24-cr-00366-NJC Document 36 Filed 04/17/26 Page 1 of 3 PageID #: 2159
LAW OFFICES OF
JEFFREY LICHTMAN
441 LEX IN GTON AVENUE
SU ITE 504
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017
www.jeffreylichtman .com
JEFFREY LICHTMAN PH : (212) 581-1001
JEFFREY E INHO RN FX: (2 12) 581-4999
MATTHEW COHAN
April 17, 2026
VIA ECF
Hon. Nusrat J. Choudhury
United States District Judge
Eastern District of New York
l 00 Federal Plaza
Central Islip, New York 11722
Re: United States v. Carmine G. Agnello, 24 CR 366 (NJC)
Dear Judge Choudhury:
We write on behalf of defendant Carmine Agnello and in advance of Mr. Agnella ' s April
20, 2026 sentencing to provide the Court with a letter received today from the defendant's uncle,
John A. Gotti.
Thank you for the Court's consideration of this letter and the attachment.
Respectfully submitted,
- --t-<Z--r-;z....>
Jeffrey Lichtman
Jeffrey Einhorn
Enc.
cc: Charles Peter Kelly, Esq.
Assistant United States Attorney (by ECF)
Case 2:24-cr-00366-NJC Document 36 Filed 04/17/26 Page 2 of 3 PageID #: 2160
John A. Gatti
April 17, 2026
Honorable Judge Nusrat Choudhury,
I write to you on behalf of my nephew , Carmine Agn ello, as he face s sentencing.
My name is John A. Gatti. I want to begin by saying plainly that I understand how
serious Carmine's offense is, and I respect the responsibility you carry in this moment.
Carmine has accepted responsibility for what he's done, and our family knows there
must be consequences.
I'm writing not to excuse his actions, but to share a more personal sense of who he is.
Carmine grew up in a situation he didn't choose. Being part of the Gotti family meant
growing up with too much attention, expectations, and society's judgment that most kids
never have to deal with. As Your Honor knows, Carmine's grandfather, father and
myself, as well as many other family members, have gone to prison. You would think
he would learn from that but I think instead it ju st desensitized him. Sadly, in our family
going to prison became almost a rite of passage.
But as our family was in the public eye for not always the right reasons, there was a
pressure to succeed, to live up to the Gotti name, and for Carmine, that pressure was
even heavier due to his involvement in a reality TV show, which ultimately gave him a
distorted sense of reality. From that young age, he was looked at a certain way before
he ever had the chance to define himself. This attention followed him long after the TV
series ended and it followed him into parts of his life where most people are given
privacy to learn and make mistakes. Carmine didn't really have that same space.
As for the conduct in this case, some of it was spent for legitimate company business
but a significant amount, over $300,000, was lost in a bitcoin scam, which was his
attempt to gamble the money in order to make more of it to save his business. That
doesn't make what he did right, but explains his desperate and reckless mindset at the
time; again , he was trying to live up to something he simply wasn't. He is deeply
ashamed by his actions and the wants to do the right thing and pay this money back.
At his core, Carmine is a good young man. I know that because I've watched him grow
up. Lately, I've also seen him start to change. Really change. He's trying to step out
from under the weight of his name and his past, and build something honest for
himself. He's more aware now of his decisions, and of the impact they have. There's
genuine remorse there, but also a growing sense of responsibility.
I offer this with respect and a broken heart for the Court and for the seriousness of what
Carmine has done. I just ask that, in deciding his sentence, you consider not only his
mistake, but what he has been through and the path he is now trying to follow.
Case 2:24-cr-00366-NJC Document 36 Filed 04/17/26 Page 3 of 3 PageID #: 2161
I thank you for your time and consideration, your Honor.
Respec fully submitted,
J- t _Jta-r
John
\/
A. Gatti